Free agency is a crazy time of the year in the NBA.
We see tons of contracts being given out to players across the league.
There are small contracts, while there are also huge ones handed out.
Furthermore, not every contract is going to be a good one.
With every bargain contract, there is one where we all scratch our heads at.
This offseason has its fair share of bad contracts.
Bad signings can hurt a team in the short-term and long-term.
Somehow, it continues to happen every single year.
This NBA offseason might have a couple of bad ones, but let’s look at the two worst contracts given out.
2. Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers
Contract: 5 Years, $100 million
The Cleveland Cavaliers are stuck in a rebuilding process yet again.
This franchise has been in the dumps for a long time minus the LeBron James era from 2015-2019.
Talent has been a hard thing for them to acquire.
However, this year’s draft saw them select Evan Mobley with the No. 3 overall pick.
He has so much potential and can be the next great player for the franchise.
One problem might be that he is going to be limited with his minutes, or having to play out of position.
Mobley is a center, but the Cavaliers already have one in Jarrett Allen.
Allen was a restricted free agent this offseason.
They could have easily orchestrated a sign-and-trade with Allen to gain more pieces.
Instead, they decided it was good to give him $100 million for five years.
Jarrett Allen has agreed to a five-year, $100M deal with the Cavs, per @ChrisBHaynes pic.twitter.com/KlrSBeRiNk
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 2, 2021
Allen is a very good young player in this league.
However, he is not a top center in the NBA.
In fact, he may never crack the top five in that position.
Somehow he is now in the upper echelon of centers based on their respective contracts.
Highest paid centers in the league today:
1. Rudy Gobert (3x DPOY)
2. Karl-Anthony Towns (2x All-Star)
3. Nikola Jokic (MVP)
4. Joel Embiid (4x All-Star)
5. Jarrett Allen pic.twitter.com/UzaOFnXzIZ— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 2, 2021
We have seen teams give money to a center and regret it.
This might be another instance of that.
Allen can be productive, but he will not reach the heights that his contract says he could.
1. Devonte’ Graham, New Orleans Pelicans
Contract: 4 Years, $47 million
The New Orleans Pelicans are in a tough spot right now.
They might lose their franchise player in Zion Williamson after just four years.
The organization has been toxic and is constantly running their best players out of town.
To combat that possibility, they decided that they needed to make a splash.
Kyle Lowry were on their radar, as were other top guards.
None of them came to fruition.
They ended up landing on Devonte’ Graham in a sign-and-trade with the Charlotte Hornets.
Devonte' Graham is signing a four-year, $47M contract with the Pels via sign-and-trade, per @wojespn pic.twitter.com/QLyKXwpTGG
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 3, 2021
Graham is a solid young guard, but he is very inefficient.
He has never shot 40 percent or better from the field.
His playmaking is good, but he is better off the ball at times.
Devonte’ Graham is a 36.4% career shooter.
His 37.7 FG% last season was the worst by any player with 650+ attempts.
As a comparison, his new teammate shot 61.1%. pic.twitter.com/TG7HI4fmZF
— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 3, 2021
The Pelicans want him to be the third guy behind Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
However, Graham might be best suited for sixth man role.
Instead, he will be the starting point guard for this team.
This contract can easily end being the beginning of the end for Williamson in New Orleans.
NEXT: Is John Collins A True Sidekick To Trae Young With Hawks?